Director, Services
The Department for Business and Trade promotes UK trade, investment and economic growth across key sectors. The Services Directorate leads work across a range of sectors including professional business services; retail and hospitality; agriculture, food and drink; and international education.
The Director for Services is a senior leadership role within Business Group, reporting to the Director General. The postholder is responsible for setting strategic direction and delivering policy, trade and investment activity across the Services portfolio, working closely with Ministers, Whitehall partners, foreign Government officials and diverse industry leaders. This is a high-profile role with responsibility for supporting the services sectors to grow, shaping the policy environment and leading engagement with senior stakeholders to strengthen the UK's position as a global leader across Services sectors.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead an excellent directorate which should be the centre of expertise for DBT's Services portfolio, to drive trade, investment and policy outcomes that support UK economic growth.
- Drive strategic engagement with industry and build senior relationships across DBT, Whitehall, the overseas network and international partners, working closely with business leaders and representative bodies to inform priorities, delivery, and act as a trusted ambassador for DBT and UK services sectors.
- Shape domestic and international policy and regulatory frameworks, working closely with HM Treasury and partner departments such as DCMS, DfE, FCDO, HO and Defra, to maximise economic impact and ensure the growth agenda is integrated into policy development across HMG.
- Develop and deliver sector strategies, campaigns and initiatives, aligned to cross-government growth objectives, especially Industrial Strategy and trade strategy priority areas, directed towards strengthening global competitiveness and driving growth.
- Oversee international engagement and investment activity, including trade missions, major events and global campaigns to unlock opportunities.
- Ensure strong governance, ministerial engagement and team leadership, overseeing programmes, convening secretariat functions for sector councils and stakeholder interactions while setting clear direction for a high-performing, dispersed team and growth.
- Be an effective member of DBT's Senior Civil Service and of Business Group's senior team.
Essential Criteria
- Senior Leadership: A visible, credible and inspiring leader with experience leading large, complex and geographically dispersed teams, fostering an inclusive, high-performance culture.
- Strategic Thinking: Strong intellectual capability with the ability to interpret data and evidence, shape strategy and lead delivery across a broad and complex policy and operational landscape.
- Delivery at Pace: A proven track record of delivering high impact outcomes, with the ability to prioritise effectively, make decisions in ambiguity and respond to emerging challenges.
- Stakeholder Engagement, Influence and Collaboration: Excellent communication and influencing skills, with a strong track record of engaging senior stakeholders and decision-makers (e.g. ministers, executives or board level leaders) and working across organisational boundaries (including government, private or third sector environments), building trusted relationships to deliver results.
- Sector and Commercial Insight: Experience working closely with business and industry, with a strong understanding of economic drivers and factors affecting growth, trade and investment, and working with one or more services sectors such as professional and business services and consumer sectors.
Desirable Criteria
- Experience of working closely with senior decision makers (such as ministers, executives or board level leaders).
- Experience working across one or more Services sectors, including financial services, professional business services, creative industries, consumer sectors or education.
